Sometimes real estate deals take awhile to get off the drawing board.
The House of Blues has been talking with the folks at Dallas’ Victory project about opening a location since 2000.
Now construction on the project is finally getting under way in a historic warehouse building on the north side of downtown.
Victory’s developers say the entertainment project has been worth the wait.
“It means 300 nights a year of live music,” said Jonas Woods, president of developer Hillwood Capital. “That’s almost a half-million people annually – a significant draw for us.”
Indeed, the 60,000-square-foot music and dining venue will be a substantial anchor at the south end of Victory at 2200 N. Lamar St.
The House of Blues will occupy part of the old White Swan warehouse complex, which will be substantially remodeled. The opening is scheduled for early 2007.
“We think Dallas is going to be a phenomenal market for House of Blues,” Mr. Woods said.
The California company is already familiar with the Dallas market.
“We’ve enjoyed being an integral part of the greater Dallas community through our House of Blues Concerts-promoted venue, Smirnoff Music Centre, and are extremely optimistic about the market,” Liam Thornton, senior vice president of development for House of Blues Entertainment, said in a statement.
During the last couple of years, the House of Blues has opened clubs in Cleveland, San Diego and Atlantic City, N.J. The company has other locations in New Orleans; Los Angeles; Chicago; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Orlando, Fla.; Las Vegas; and Anaheim, Calif.
The House of Blues is in the same area of Victory where the House condominium tower is planned. Work on the residential tower should begin in the next 60 to 90 days, Mr. Woods said.
“We’ve satisfied our sales and financing hurdles,” he said. “We are working through the construction specifics.”